I Thought I Was In Sonoma… This is looking a Lot Like Tuscany

Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley, sixteen miles long and two wide, attracted Italian immigrants to its lands because its terrain so reminded them of home. Today, many of the wineries and vineyards are still in the family.

With the variety of appellations within Sonoma County we thought this day would be good to focus on just one. I was eager to taste single vineyard zinfandels preferably from smaller wineries or family-owned enterprises so Keren, our host at Haydon Street Inn in historic Healdsburg, marked a route along the Dry Creek Valley. Ten minutes on the road transported us to another world - from the trendy, upscale downtown Healdsburg to the bucolic serenity of vineyards and farmlands that stretched across a valley floor and crept up the sides of dramatically rolling hills. Our route twisted and turned along the baseline of the hills on roads sometimes no wider than a single car.

First stop: Michel-Schlumberger Wines for a tour and tasting (note, reservations are required). We typically don’t do the tour thing (you’ve seen one fermentation tank, you’ve seen them all) but the day was turning warm with clear skies and this tour took us out into the vineyards, so we went along. We also figured we needed as much extra walking as the day would allow after a week of eating well. The Michel-Schlumberger story was interesting: Europeans in California bringing French-style winemaking to the New World. They also set in place biodynamic farming practices that utilize organics and wildlife to maintain a healthy order to the circle of life whether it be on the vine or with the woodland creatures. Interestng to note as well is Michel-Schlumberger took a small east-facing slope to grow Pinot Noir - a grape you wouldn’t associate with Dry Creek. They called him crazy at the time but his wine ‘le fou’ Pinot Noir was a success. The name, meaning the fool, or crazy one, pokes back at the critics who thought Pinot Noir couldn’t be grown with success in the Valley.

Sbragia Family Vineyards was our next stop. We tasted three distinct zinfandels, all well made. By the time we finished we were getting hungry so we bought a piece of cheese, crackers, sliced salami, and a glass of  2006 Gino’s Vineyard Zinfandel from the tasting room. Sitting on the deck of the winery, enjoying the view down the valley, and experiencing what food can do to transform a wine. The fatty salami created a cushion against the wine’s tannins to allow the fruit character to shine through. This zin is good food wine, for sure.

After lunch we made two more stops along the way: Truett-Hurst and Quivira Vineyards and Winery. Both wineries showed classic examples of Dry Creek zinfandels. But these stops were simply a means to an end and that end was to stretch every moment of daylight to enjoy the wonderful little swatch of land known as Dry Creek Valley.

• End Notes: View our collection of photos from Dry Creek Valley.